Editor's Notes: What if Your Editor Isn't Well Read?

A former student emailed me about a rejection and asked this very question.

So I answered:

Chances are you're screwed but take heart there are others out there who are well read and will appreciate your work. The best one can do is vet the publication as best as possible and avoid those editors who have never published and avoid those editors whose work appears divergent from your own.

In this age of avoiding confrontation for fear of reprisal don't be afraid to call an editor out. He or she wasn't going to publish your work anyway. Remember you are standing up for yourself and your work. Don't take needless angst from someone who is functionally illiterate.

But please do your homework first. Nothing hurts more than to be rejected by someone who turns out to be a paper tiger or a cardboard cut out as opposed to a person of letters.